Dino Rossi on Government Reform

Call to halt earmarks; that's what's wrong with D.C.

Murray repeatedly mentioned that she comes home and talks to local leaders and businesses about what help they want from Washington, D.C.

Rossi said he's been listening to voters as he travels the state, noting conversations with struggling
small-business owners and a 50-year-old man who nearly came to tears talking about being unemployed for two years.

Rossi accused Murray of heading to Congress with good intentions years ago but claimed she's changed since then to become a D.C. insider.
He ripped her record as a prolific sponsor of earmarks, citing a Seattle Times report about former Murray staffers now cashing in on their connections as lobbyists, garnering nearly $20 million in earmarks for clients in a recent defense bill alone.
"That's precisely what's wrong with Washington, D.C. That's what has to change," Rossi said.

Murray defended her record, and said Rossi would shortchange important Washington state projects with his call to halt earmarks and cut the federal budget.